Summon is an option within the Collection tab of the Spirits single-player mode that allows players to summon certain spirits with Cores obtained by sending spirits home in the Dismiss menu. Some spirits are only obtainable through this method, meaning the only way to collect the total number of spirits is to Summon some of them. Previously Summoned spirits may later appear on the Spirit Board, and others can be encountered in World of Light without needing to summon them first.

Each spirit has a certain amount of cores and SP required in order to summon it. Often, the type of cores needs to be specifically from a certain spirit. In the case of the Paper Mario spirit, a Cut Man spirit and Cardboard Box spirit, along with any Neutral type spirit, are required to summon it. If the player has not dismissed a spirit to collect their core, he/she may also use the spirit in summoning, though the old spirit and any cores used will still be lost.